Minister of the Environment, Akihiro Nishimura has compiled and submitted an opinion to the Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry, requesting a review of the plan of a large-scale PV project that is under development in Miyagi Prefecture, in which a single PV module to be installed in a remote location away from the main project site, based on the environmental assessment procedures.

In this project, a PV power plant with a maximum capacity of 40 MW (AC)/approx. 55 MW (DC) will be built in Murata Town, Shibata County, Miyagi Prefecture, while installing a single PV module with an output capacity of 660 W in a remote site located in the Moniwa district, Taihaku Ward, Sendai City, Miyagi Prefecture, approximately 11 km north from the main project site, connecting these two facilities by own electric line to develop the two facilities as one single power plant.

The Minister of the Environment pointed out that the construction of electric lines would increase the environmental load, and that it would be extremely unreasonable from the standpoint of environmental conservation. The opinion document calls for the removal of the Moniwa district from the project. The power generation in the remote site was planned to maintain the electricity selling price at the time of FIT project approval eight years ago. If the Moniwa district is excluded from the project , the electricity selling price will be approximately less than one-third of the original selling price.

In the future, Minister of Economy, Trade and Industry will give his opinion to the developer, taking into consideration the opinion expressed by the Minister of the Environment, based on which the developer will decide on their project business plan.